Just because I started a website called OntarioWineReview.com doesn't mean it's All-Ontario-All-the-Time. When I kick back at night my mood (and sometimes my curiosity) decides my wine of choice. And the title should read, "Uncorked and Un-Screwed Tonight" ... but that just sounds wrong.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Mission Hill 2006 Quatrain (British Columbia)

This is one of the Mission Hill big gun wines ... and I'm not just talking price, the bottle can be used as a door stop once the bottle is empty. These kind of bottles are usually the sign of a new world icon wine, and I would say this wine has an icon-like quality to it. The blend is dominated by Syrah (41%) with Merlot (32%) taking the second spot, the Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon make up the rest with 14 and 13 percent respectively. The word that most came to mind while drinking this wine was "peppery" - both the palate and the nose seemed to be loaded with it. Aromas of white pepper, black pepper and blackberries greeted the nose and stuck around for the liftime of the wine in glass. The palate also show signs of pepper but it proved more complex then the nose suggested: spice, plum, big black fruit flavours, and a smooth pepperiness. I also tried using a decanter with part of the wine and discovered the flavours of anise emerged on the tongue. The wine was easily summed up with these 4 words: Peppery mid, plum finish ... very enjoyable and approachable right now.